Elizabeth: the Butterfly girl
by KrazyboutLara
Summary: Elizabeth can travel through time but can she save Will or Jack? Based on the movie "The Butterfly Effect."
1. Chapter 1: Beginning of world's end

A/N: This is based on Ashton Kutcher's movie "The Butterfly Effect." There is no timeline so assume that "Dead Man's Chest" and "At World's End" didn't happen. If you haven't seen the movie, it goes like this: Ashton's character suffers from amnesia. His psychiatrist suggests that he write in a diary to keep his memories from being lost. He learns the hard way that he can travel through time but he has no control over it. He won't know where he goes or what year. He is in love with his childhood friend Kayleigh. He goes to a different time so he can get her to fall in love with him but accidents keep happening and something bad happens to her every time. He tries going to different times to save her and loses her every time. Ultimately, it leads him to make a shocking decision. Elizabeth can't decide between Will or Jack but doesn't want to lose either of them. She must make a decision: which one will she sacrifice?

Disclaimer: I do not own Pirates of the Caribbean. Elizabeth, Will and Jack are the property of the Walt Disney Co. Am only borrowing them for this story.

1691 – somewhere in the eastern Atlantic

The seas pounded the side of the ship. The winds were fierce and changing direction so often that it was impossible to sail straight but Capt. Jack Sparrow didn't waver. He knew exactly how far to turn the wheel to keep the Black Pearl

from hitting the rocks. They were off the coast of Portugal, evading the East India Co.'s fastest ship. Elizabeth was helping everyone secure the cannons below deck. Will kept a sharp eye on the coast, warning Jack when he was too

close to the rocky edges of the shore. The Pearl lost sight of the pursuing ships, bringing a sigh of relief to the others. However, it was too close. They had been caught almost totally off guard and a huge hole was on port, where a barrel

of rum could be shoved through. Ironically, that was how they patched it up. Despite Jack's howls of protest, Gibbs insisted and had it sealed with a thick layer of tar. Jack finally shut his mouth after Gibbs asked him if he'd like to lose

MORE rum for the other barrels might roll through the hole with the ship pitching so badly in the rough seas. The storm abated slightly as they headed farther up north. The coast was visible so Jack pulled slightly to port. They were out of

the danger area. Nobody had spotted even a single-master within shooting distance so the chase ship had not tried to call for help, a serious error on that captain's part.

Everyone was so relieved that they planned to put in to the next port to party. Tortuga was off limits for now because of the warring Far Eastern ships vying for control of the island. That was the danger of working alone; Jack couldn't

call for help. He was on his own although he did have Elizabeth and Will on his back. "Haul in the yards!" he shouted. They pulled in most of the mainmast sail to slow down. "Gibbs." "Aye!" Jack went down to assess the damage. He

grinned, it wasn't anywhere as bad as Gibbs said. He was actually a bit peeved at the man for exaggerating. He realized that Gibbs had his reasons. Telling them the truth might cause the lazy ones among the crew to slacken their efforts.

That was a no-no even though it meant being on the end of a bullwhip. Although Jack hated having to administer punishments, it was the only way to keep the lazy ones in line. Other pirates might not think a simple coarse leather whip

would be bad but it was probably worse. The dry leather sliced through calloused skin easily so even the hardiest sailor would have collapsed after only 10 strokes. One or two would answer to the bullwhip tomorrow morning.

With the coastline fading slightly, they could relax. Unfortunately for Jack, that meant the precious rum barrels would be raided and this is exactly what happened. An hour later, Jack was in his cabin, planning the next leg of their trip

when he reached for his mug. "Ohhhh, why is the rum always gone?"

Will was so tired that Elizabeth left him snoring in her cabin. She sat at the table next to him and finished her mug of rum. She felt better whenever he was next to her although she had been having trouble keeping her eyes off Jack. It

was a fact that she couldn't bring herself to deny. She had been stealing glances at Jack and now, was wondering how much longer she would be able to resist said temptation. Trying to shake her mind off of Jack Sparrow, she reached

under the bed and found the heavy wooden box containing all her diaries. She had, at the behest of a child doctor, kept a journal to "keep 'er head straight." Lately, the blackouts had very slowly crept up until it was too late. She had an

embarrassing moment last week when she passed out on deck watch. Jack chalked it up to "too much bloody rum." She knew why. Writing in the diary was the only thing that kept her head straight. She could focus on words rather than

her splitting headaches.

_Dear diary,_

_I cannot believe how close we came today. It was too scary and I, for once, thought about getting knocked on rum but decided I could do without the headaches. Will and Jack are dreadful after they have a rum-induced hangover! The _

_ship is in decent shape but that massive hole worries me too. Thank God Gibbs has the ability to think when Jack can't! Hee hee! But I'll never mention THAT aloud._

As she wrote, she was aware of a few things: she had a splitting headache. That was impossible since she had drunk only half a mug of rum. She also noticed that the room seemed to be getting hazy. It was like a groggy dream where

she could never be sure whether she was awake or not. It got foggier and suddenly, everything faded away.

A/N: more to come. Please read and review!


	2. Chapter 2: Terror on the Atlantic

Hope you enjoyed the first chapter. Please read and review! If I get any reviews, I'll consider adding more chapters. For now, I'm not sure how many times Elizabeth will time-travel before she makes a decision.

(Warning: violent content here)

She slowly stirred. The room materialized as she got up. Because she was still quite groggy, she couldn't focus well. It was like sobering up but on fast-forward. The room formed from the fog into a wooden floor with white metal walls

everywhere. The bed was huge and she had a large veranda outside with a deck chair. She staggered outside. The sea was still there so something was normal. A loud buzzing came from above. She wondered what it could be. To her

shock, something huge and green swooped past. It was impossible to believe. The huge green object turned right and flew back towards the ship. It was incredibly fast. She thought she saw a human head. Was it from another planet?

She couldn't think clearly since the effects of the blackout weren't totally faded.

She realized she was in a purple and white nightgown. Wandering to the dresser, she searched for something that would seem appropriate. The simplest piece was a long navy blue dress with a white collar. What kind of clothes were

these? She didn't need to have someone pin them on her. And where was her corset? Would she be stared at for wandering without one? Although the clothes looked alien to her, she could tell there was no need for the horrid corset. The

fabric couldn't stretch enough to fit one under. She felt a shower would help. Stripping her nightgown off, she ran the water as cold as she could stand and let the shower hit her straight in the face. Something weird had happened. Where

were Jack and Will? Why was she suddenly on another ship and what the bloody hell was the thing that flew overhead? A manmade fly? She shut the water off and dried off. The dress seemed easy to put on since there were buttons on

the back at the top. She searched the closet again and found a pair of shoes. Putting them on, she checked her face in the mirror. She was shocked. She was clearly older, probably about 24 or 25. The baby fat on her chin was gone. Her

cheeks were also more taut. She was relieved that her face had barely changed. Her hair was much darker and had been cut short. It was wavy and didn't reach more than an inch below her chin. She felt naked with the air brushing

across the nape of her neck. Searching the room, she rummaged through a desk drawer. On top of it was a ticket. It said "Cunard White Star Line: RMS Queen Elizabeth." But why would a ship be named after the queen? Did she die

recently? Was she related to Queen Mary? She looked at the itinerary. The ship had left Southampton on June 1 and made a stop in the Bahamas on June 2. It had just left so she was somewhere in the south Atlantic, steaming towards

South Africa, which was two days away. The date shocked her: June 2, 1920. She closed her eyes and shook her head, trying to clear her mind. Peeking back, she saw the clear black letters again mocking her: it was 1920, not 1691. This

couldn't be possible. She found her room key and took a deep breath. The world outside would be very different. She needed to find Jack or Will. Maybe they could explain what happened.

Elizabeth passed people in fancy tuxedos and dresses similar to hers. She was surprised that nobody stared at her. She dared herself to glance at a few of the women passing her in the halls. To her shock, they might as well be a splitting

image of her: wavy, bobbed hair and a long, slinky dress, sometimes with fur wrapped around the neck. She continued down the long hall, passing a line of white doors on both sides. She reached the end and saw a staircase. Wandering

up, she reached another door and went in. The room was so stunning it took her breath away. The ceiling soared up nearly 30 feet with chandeliers hanging majestically from delicate threads. The walls were decked in a dark wood that

complemented the floor. The room was slightly crowded but there was always enough space to walk without bumping into someone. That made Elizabeth feel better as she didn't want to find out if people here talked differently or even in

another language. She made her way past the beautifully dressed couples, wondering what she should do. Should she look for Jack? Where would he be and how could she find him?

She thought maybe a walk outside would clear her head more. She saw that the walls had no windows so she had to go up another level or two. How could this ship be so huge! The Pearl would fit inside three times with room to spare!

She staggered to another set of stairs and was up on the balcony. There were French doors lined along both sides of the ship. A man in a sharp white uniform opened the door for her. "Good afternoon ma'am." He had no accent of any

kind so Elizabeth knew the crew were from England. She thanked him quietly and wandered outside. It was late afternoon; the sun was low on the horizon. There weren't many people outside. The decks were covered with sun chairs and

children were running everywhere. She wandered the decks, eventually finding herself on the stern, the massive Union Jack flapping loudly from the pole. As she pondered getting off, she still wondered how she could find Will or Jack. Was

she doomed to spend her remaining life in a strange new time where metal birds existed and women didn't wear corsets?

Leaning on the rail, she sighed, wondering what to do next. Something odd was in the distance. She stared at it. It was getting larger. To her surprise, it was a ship. She couldn't tell what kind as she had never seen anything like it. The

ship was even smaller than the Black Pearl and light gray. It was made of material she had never seen before and didn't have sails. How could it move without wind? That's when she looked at the Queen Elizabeth's smokestacks. _Her ship _

_had no sails either_. How could this be possible? She was so lost in her thoughts that she never saw the cannon. The small ship pulled alongside and immediately opened fire. A massive boom echoed and she heard screams from below deck.

Then, grappling hooks landed on the rails in front of her. The men climbing aboard looked familiar. "Mr. Gibbs!" She ran towards him. He looked at her and, to her shock, slapped her across the face. "Mr. Gibbs, what's wrong with you?!" He

was stunned. How could she know his name? Must be a whore Jack had met in Bermuda a few weeks ago. At that point, another man stepped up on the deck.

He didn't have a tripoint hat or long beard. His eyes were the same but he was dressed in a dirty white button-up shirt and black pants with boots. In his faded leather belt was a Colt .45. He didn't carry a cutlass but what looked like a

long Ghurka knife. It was clearly Jack. "Oh, what have we here? Something extra for the boys?" "Jack! It's me, Elizabeth!" She cautiously approached him. He raised an eyebrow but said nothing and walked away. Suddenly, she was

grabbed from behind. "Oy, boys, let's have some fun with this one here!" She felt another pair of greasy hands grabbing her dress. They tore the skirt. She kicked and managed to hit the other pirate in the knee. Fortunately, he had

injured it before so it hurt immensely. He grabbed his knee and howled in pain. She sank her teeth into the other pirate's hand. He screamed and let go immediately. She didn't look back as she ran back inside. The diaries had brought her

here so she had to get out. She tried to remember the way back to her cabin. If she got lost, she was dead for sure. She ran downstairs. The sight before her was horrible. Two pirates were raping a teenage girl. Another shot into the

crowd as people fell, one after another. She forced herself to hold back her vomit and ran into the hallway. What was the room number? She fumbled in her small coin purse and found the key. Reading it, she saw that it was no. 401. She

counted the doors and finally reached it. Just before going in, Elizabeth heard a door being kicked in. A burly pirate had entered a room five doors down. The occupant's voice sounded familiar. Will! She yanked a lamp from her room and

cautiously staggered towards the door. Elizabeth peeked through the crack where the hinges were. Will still looked like himself. The pirate pulled out a pistol and pointed it at him. Elizabeth had to act now! She ran towards him and broke

the lamp on his head. Although he was huge, he collapsed immediately. Unfortunately, on reflex, he pulled the trigger. Will was thrown against the wall. "NO!!" Elizabeth dropped the remains of the lamp and crawled over to him. He had

been hit in a bad spot. There was no way she could get him to a doctor to save him. His eyes were glassy, death was not far. Despite that, he was able to lift his head and get a very close look at her. "Elizabeth? I thought you were

dead." She saw her tears land on his cheek. "W-Will, I'm so sorry. It's my fault, I-I shouldn't have read the bloody stupid diary." He was totally confused. "Elizabeth, what are you talking about?" "The diary I read. It must have brought us

here. We have to get you out of here." She struggled to get his arm over her neck. She couldn't lift him because she was so exhausted. Thinking quickly, she searched his coat and found his room key. She locked the door behind her and

ran to her room. Where were they? She turned over the trunk. Clothes and papers fell out but no books resembling her diary. She searched under the bed and pulled out the drawers. The sounds of gunshots and feet thumping overhead

terrified her so much she couldn't hear her heart beat. She ran to the closet. It wasn't in there. She had to think. Where would she put it so nobody could find it? Inspiration struck. She dragged the desk over to the massive dresser and

got on top of it. She still couldn't see the top so she fumbled blindly with her hands. Something hard hit her hand. She found it! Jumping down, she ran back to Will's room. It was barely in the nick of time. Another pirate was charging

down the hall. She tried to find a legible entry. A gunshot echoed. He had shot the lock! Fortunately, the damage had only jammed the door so he couldn't get in. She looked at Will. His eyes didn't move. "No! Will! Will! Please, stay with

me!" She cradled his head in her lap. He wasn't breathing. She burst into uncontrolled sobs, wondering what she had done to deserve such a thing. Still, didn't she have a chance? She opened the diary and began reading again:

_Dear diary,_

_I hope Will isn't going to be late. It's our first date and even Daddy is somewhat excited. He just dropped by the house yesterday in fact. The desk is just gorgeous. I hope it convinces Daddy to hire him again so I can see more of him._

The headache struck again and she saw the room turn wavy and hazy. She passed out.

More to come! Please, I'd love to hear some reviews! Thanks!


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